Wine, food labeling, forest management and fishing at the center of the meeting
The bilateral meeting between the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Stefano Patuanelli and the Slovenian counterpart Josže Podgoršek took place today at Dobra Castle in Slovenia. Several points at the center of the meeting, from the possible common actions to support the wine sector, to the opportunities for cross-border collaboration, to the management of the Adriatic forests and fish resources, to the issues related to food labeling.
The enhancement of cross-border vines was the first issue at the heart of the bilateral. Minister Patuanelli, in highlighting the importance that the wine culture of the area assumes, and the need to further develop wine tourism, proposed to the Slovenian Minister to present a joint candidacy to include the Brda-Collio territory in the world heritage of 'UNESCO.
With regard to the issue of food labeling, Minister Patuanelli underlined that he is confident in an evolution of the Slovenian position on the labeling of food products, in light of the concerns raised by both countries on the Nutriscore system, in favor of the Italian proposal of the NutrInform battery front package.
On the Slovenian side, it was agreed that the European labeling systems must constitute an information tool as complete as possible that also considers food habits and traditions in the various countries, without penalizing typical products.
On the issue of fisheries and forest management, the Minister highlighted the three legs of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. Finally, during the meeting, the issue linked to the hypothesis of signing a memorandum of understanding for the wine sector, with a view to joint promotion, was addressed, and on which the parties undertook to update themselves later.
During the visit, Minister Stefano Patuanelli attended the ceremony for the inauguration of the statue for the centenary of the birth of Zvonimir Simčič, an emblematic figure for the wine cooperation between Italy and Slovenia, in which Slovenian President Borut took part. Pahor, the Italian Ambassador to Ljubljana, Carlo Campanile, the Slovenian Ambassador to Rome Tomasz Kunstelj and the Consul General in Koper Giovanni Coviello.